Filter for inspirators



Patented June 19, 1945 erica FILTER FOR INSPIRATQRS William B. Ensign and John Harold Flynn, New Rochelle, N. Y., assignors to Ensign Ribbon Burners, Inc., Mount Vernon, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application November 17, 1943, Serial No. 510,594

4 Claims.

This invention relates to a device for use in conjunction with gas burners for industrial gas heat applications.

More particularly, the invention relates to a device which serves to mix air and gas, and to filter the air prior to being mixed with the gas, to produce a. clean combustible mixture supply to gas burners used for heat applications in such places as bakeries where the air is laden with iiour dust, foundries where the air is laden with sand dust, Woolen and cotton mills Where lint is in the air, and other places. y

The principal object of the invention is to eliminate dirty air by cleaning or filtering out of it all extraneous matter tending to clog,` slow down, or completely stop the combustible mixture from burning at the port or jet area of the burner.

A'further object of the invention is the provision of a device of the indicated character which will obviate the 4present removal of a burner, mixer and connections from the apparatus or equipment in which these parts are used, so that they may be cleaned for the maintenance of the desired thermal efllciency. In this conne'ction it will be appreciated this cleaning oi' the parts due to clogging of extraneous matter in the air requires considerable time and labor and that during this cleaning period, the apparatus or `equipment including the burners'must be shut down for a considerable period of time which is costly because of the'loss of production, and also costly from the repair and maintenance 'view- Point. I l

A further object of the invention is the provision of a device of the indicated character which embodies air iiltering means enabling the use of a simple vacuum cup to clean such means easilyl and with a minimum of labor, especially where there are several hundred filters as in the case of a large baking oven for instance, to the end that Lthe burner will maintain high eiliciency for an indenite time without interruption of the operation of the apparatus or equipment in which the burners are installed.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention resides in the combination, arrangement, construction and 4functions of the parts hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which- Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a ribbon type burner which is selected to illustrate the device of the present invention shown applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged `vertical sectional view through the device, a portion being broken away.

Fig. 3 is a collective view of the parts of one. of the lters.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view showing a modification of a filter.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, it will be apparent that in Fig. 1 is simple ribbon type burner l0 selected to illustrate the device of the present invention applied thereto. The burner consists of a tube ll having a longitudinal slot therein at the top and in this slot crimpedor corrugated strips l2. of metal are arranged to provide a multiplicity of ports or jets for the outiiow of the combustible mixture to produce a knife edge ribbon iiame.

The device of the present invention is connected with the inlet end of the burner tube Il to supply the combustible mixture of air and gas by suction action to the burner. The device consists of an inspirator i4 and one or more lters l5, there being two lters in the present instance. The inspirator consists of a flaring tube I6 and a relatively short cross tube |1 integral with the tube I6 and in communication with the interior thereof. The tube Il embodies air inlet portions I8 which are angularly disposed with respect to the longitudinal axis of the tube I6, and are arranged diametrically opposite each other. 4The tube I1. has a gas inlet I9 in axial alinement with the longitudinal axis of the tube I6. A Igas supply pipe 20 is threaded in the inlet I9. A removable nozzle or jet 2| is threaded in the inner end of the inlet I9, said jet having a male thread and a nut 22 for rotating the jet. A circular air shutter 23 is threaded on the jet 2|. A jam nut 24 is also threaded on the jet 2| and serves to hold the shutter 23 in place. The shutter is adjustable on the .iet axially thereof, so that it may be set in different positions to control the amount of air owing into the tube I6 from the inlets I8. 'I'he jet 2| together with the shutter 23 and nut 24 as a, unit may be removed and replaced from the inside of the inspirator through either inlet I8 by iirst removing the lter pad. This expedient permits the gas supply pipe- 20 to be permanently connected with the inspirator.

The filters I5 are arranged in the inlets |8 respectively. Each iilter consists of a circular pad of suitable foraminous or interstitial material capable of eliminating dust, lint and other foreign particles in the air. The pad consists of two or more plies 25 of loosely woven material, or

iibrous material, and wide wire mesh lor screen` y material in the form of disks 26 with the endsl 21 of the WiresV bent at-rig'ht anglesl at the circumferential line. The disks 26 are, laid against opposite sides of the pad and the ends 21 impale the plies 25 and so grip the latter and hold the disks 26 in place to form a unitary lter structure. The parts 25 and 26 of the-pad are held together by adhesive tape 28 or equivalent means which covers the circumferential edges of the same.

Each inlet has an internal circular shoulder 29 against which the filter I ts, and va clamping ring 30 bears on the filter. The ring is held in the clamping position by means of wing nuts 3| on screw bolts 32 pivotally connected with the tube Il, asat 33. The bolts 32 are received in slotted lugs respectively, on the ring, and the nuts 3l bear on the lugs to cause the ring to exert a clamping pressure on the lter, thereby-squeezing the marginal edge portion thereof against the shoulder 29 and so preventing any short circuiting of the air entering the inspirator without passing through the filter.

'I'he inspirator is connected with the open end of the tube II of the burner by an elbow 35. An air suction is developed by a high velocity gas stream 36 within the tube IGLWhich causes air to be drawn into the inlets IB and through the filters I5 which collect all dirt, dust, lint and other foreign particles from the air, so that clean iiltered air is mixed with the high velocity stream of gas, producing a combustible mixture for burning at the ports of the burner I0.

'Ihe wire mesh disk 25 on the outside of each filter I5 is placed there so that when the filter pad becomes dirty at the air inlet side, a special nozzle of a vacuum cleaner can be used to readily remove the objectionable matter from the lterdisk without. taking it out of the inlet portion I8 of the tube I1.

In lieu of the disk type of filters I5, use may be made of a cylindrical vtype of filter IIS, as shown in Fig. 4. yWith this type of illter use is made of a'cover |30 in lieu of the ring 30. In other respects the filtering means is similar to that described hereinabove and corresponding parts are given similar reference numerals for the sake of convenience' and a correct understanding of its features.

`We claim: i

.1. The combination with an inspirator for supplying a fuel mixture of air and gas to a burner, said inspirator having inlets, a gas feed nozzle extending into the inspirator between the inlets, an air filter unit fitting in each inlet, and means which retains said unit in functioning position4 in said inlet.

2. An inspirator for supplying a fuel mixture o air and gas to a burner, said inspirator including a tubular structure within which the air and gas are commixed and embodying an air inlet tube having an internal shoulder, and a gas feed nozzle on said structure within the same, and in combination, an air lter element, and means which cooperates with said shoulder to removably retain said filter element in vfunctioning position With respect to said inlet tube at one side of said nozzle.

3. The invention as set forth in claim 2, wherein said means includes a clamping member engaged with an edge portion of said filter element.

4. The invention as set forth in claim 2, wherein said filter element consists of a,disk, and said last means includes a clamping ring engaged with the marginal edge portion of the disk on the outside thereof.

WILLIAM B. ENSIGN.

JOHN HAROLD FLYNN. 

